The Practice of Sharing Housework Among Spouses - Essay Example

Spouses Sharing Housework Traditional marriage arrangements have undergone tremendous changes since the last generation. Previously, women were tasked with staying at home and doing all the household chores in addition to raising the children. However, diverse factors contributed to drastic changes in spouses’ responsibilities including employment, child rearing and housework. It is my contention that spouses should equally share housework according to what they both have decided on. According to Selle (2002), “The Family: A Proclamation to the World teaches that fathers and mothers have specific, God-ordained responsibilities within an equal partnership, with neither husband nor wife seeking to dominate the other.” (par. 1) It is actually a matter of taking the time to talk about the equal division of housework to ensure a smooth, stronger, happier and positive long range relationship within the family.

In USA Today (1998, 1), the discourse proffered that “while the roles of females outside the household have changed dramatically as more women get jobs, responsibilities in the home have shifted only slightly, maintains Vicki Fitzsimmons, a professor of family economics.” A survey of 450 married university employees and their spouses revealed that “women are reluctant to give up territory to spouses or to lower their standards of cleanliness. Thus, the view of wife as homemaker continues even though many women are the primary or co-breadwinners.

”In this regard, conflicts ensure leading to emotional stress, over fatigue, marital discord, physical drain, among others. The dilemma can actually be addressed by the spouses’ participation in the decision making regarding the division of housework. It is actually not a matter of the number of household tasks divided; but the quality to tasks both spouses agree to do. Further, commitment is tested on both parties’ ability to perform their responsibilities to the best of their abilities.

After all, marriage is a longtime commitment in life to supplement and complement each other – especially in sharing housework.Works CitedSelle, Adrian. Equal Partnership in Marriage. Forever Families. 2002. Web. 14 Nov. 2009.USA Today. Spouses don’t share chores equally. CBS Interactive, Inc. 1998 Mar. Web. 14 Nov. 2009.